A fortnight ago, as a matter of interest, I mentioned that the Pembroke Probus Club would welcome new members. While advertising is not welcomed by the club, if you would like more information, such as dates and times of meetings etc., you can 'phone me on 01646 622385. Club meeting: The first item on the agenda was the announcement that a longstanding member, Joe Griffiths, had died. A minute's silence was observed, following which I said a few words of farewell, a valediction. I first met Joe in 1945, when we entered PDCG School. He was a big lad and when rugby was introduced to the school, Joe played on the wing, a forerunner of the likes of George North today. He represented the school and county at athletics. On conscription, Joe joined the Welsh Guards. He was in the Guards Parachute Company. While on exercise in Malaya his 'chute failed to open properly, but 'by kicking and twisting' he got it to work. Unfortunately, he was very close to the ground and his injuries meant that he joined the RMP for the rest of his service career. When 'demobbed', he joined MoD Police at Pembroke Dock, where he stayed until retirement. His funeral was at Parc Gwyn Crematorium, Narberth, on Wednesday. A new member was inducted and welcomed to the club by president Robert Gorman. The new member was George Mathias, of Carew, a very well-known and respected member of the local farming community. The remainder of club business concentrated on proposed events such as a trip to the Gwaun Valley and the club sports day. It is strongly rumoured that certain members are already in strict training - for both events! This was a hot seat meeting and president Robert set a good example to the rest by 'turning to' at the talk face. The talk had the ambivalent title of 'Memories'. Robert lived about a mile or so from Heathrow and close to the ATC at West Drayton. He suffered little noise from LHR, in fact the nearby motorways were noisier! Robert spent a considerable time explaining how conservation worked in the area. The trigger was a large and well-known soft drinks organisation building a large and new HQ locally. This caused a certain level of uproar, so a concerted effort was made to prevent a re-occurrence. Robert did his bit by buying patch of grassland and bordering it with 'Dragons Teeth' to prevent it being used as a car park. It worked. The photographic tour, provided by Robert, illustrated that, though development was not stopped, the essential fabric of the area was maintained. Being close to the British 'Hollywood', the area had a liberal quota of film stars visiting and living. The most notable thing about this activity was the amount of time taken to produce a few minutes on the screen. Three weeks for two minutes was quoted. A fascinating talk. It's aim was twofold: 1. to provide entertainment - which it did; 2. to encourage club members to occupy the hot seat - I'm sure that it will. Then it was time to go home and play with the dogs - keeps them happy and makes my wife jealous.

Ken MacCallum